


Simply Cat Prowl

by BrightDarkness_2013



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-06-03 07:03:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19458865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightDarkness_2013/pseuds/BrightDarkness_2013
Summary: It was difficult to make out with the rain pouring down on me so I crept closer. If it was another opossum I was going to be pissed. Those things had been ripping open bags of garbage for us to clean up in the morning. And it wasn’t enough to rip it open, they were practically tossing it around the yard.





	1. Opossum?

The rain that I had foolishly hoped would be gone by the time that our show was over had decided that it would not only stick around, but simply pour harder. And as we stared out at it, instruments over our shoulders and held closely in our hands, we knew that there would be no escaping mother nature’s wrath today. No matter how long we waited. A sigh left my lips. The sun that had shone brightly all day had not bothered to hint at this outcome. Five percent chance of rain my ass.  
  
“I really wish that I brought an umbrella. Or had the sense to bring the case for this thing.” Blaster spoke up next to me, his bass shifting from his shoulder to be held to his chest in preparation.  
  
“You and me both.”  
  
I had no doubt that Ray was going to be calling a cab to keep his keyboard safe. That was a smart idea, but the fact that I didn’t live too far from here would make it a bit of a waste. Blaster on the other hand didn’t live quite so close to this place.  
  
“You seriously gonna walk it?”  
  
“I’m debating.”  
  
“May as well come home with me then.”  
  
“That’d be good.”  
  
“Streets are flooded.”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“We could get a cab.”  
  
“We could.”  
  
“Are we?”  
  
“Don’t think so.”  
  
“Smart people would.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Neither of us moved. We both knew that we were just stalling. But we kept it up anyway. We hadn’t a clue how long it would last for. Sure when it pours hard it doesn’t last very long, however there was no telling how long it would go for with how dark the sky was. It could be a few minutes or an hour more. The street lights were hazy orbs in the distance and without the moons light it was quite dark. Wanting to get it over with I bolted out from under our cover and calling out quickly.  
  
“See you at home!”  
  
“You’re going to slip and die!” Came the answering call.  
  
I kept my head down as I ran as if that would somehow protect me from the rain. I silently counted at each corner. One block. Two. Three. I was going to be drenched by the time I reached home and I was going to be so happy to step into a warm shower before bed. A rumble of thunder overhead. Another block. When I finally turned to run up the stairs and into my apartment I paused, nearly slipping and falling into the mud. Under the wooden staircase where my downstairs neighbors and I left our trash bins was a white creature. It was difficult to make out with the rain pouring down on me so I crept closer. If it was another opossum I was going to be pissed. Those things had been ripping open bags of garbage for us to clean up in the morning. And it wasn’t enough to rip it open, they were practically tossing it around the yard. When I caught it in the act it had the gaul to play dead like I hadn’t even seen it. Then when I tried to shoo it away it snarled at me and bolted. Our attempts at catching it never panned out so we tended to throw things at it hoping that it would get the hint that it wasn’t wanted. It hadn’t been seen in a few weeks thankfully.  
  
Cautiously I bent down to peer into the space between the bins. It was a cat. Skinny and covered in dirt. Its paws were almost black with mud. Well shit. What was I supposed to do with that? Should I just leave it? Feral cats were dangerous and very rarely did domestication work out. The least I could do was give it something to eat. I had some leftover chicken from the other night. A little bit of that should do. I withdrew from the unconscious animal and moved up the stairs and into the top part of the home that had been remodeled into two separate apartments. I took a second to set my guitar down on the couch and wonder whether or not I should heat up the chicken in the microwave or leave it cold. Glancing out side I decided that having a warm meal would do more good. Thirty seconds in the microwave it was.  
  
As I headed down the stairs I blinked and looked up as the rain ceased. Well how about that? I kneeled before the creature and set the small dish down. The little ting that it made on gravel made it jolt out of whatever restless doze it was in. The cat hissed at me, deep ice blue eyes staring me down. When I made no move it bolted behind and around the recycling bin before escaping over the fence and into the next yard. I breathed a sigh and left the dish there in case it came back. The following afternoon revealed that something had eaten the free meal. I really hoped it wasn’t that fucking opossem.  
  
I had taken to leaving food out for it and each time I came out to take the dish all of it was gone. Then one evening I saw the cat again. It stood at the side of the shared garage and stared. So it was the cat that was taking the meal. Thank God. I walked forward a few steps and set the small bowl of ham down and stepped back. I sat on the steps when it made no move. We simply sat there and watched each other for a long while. Then it took a step forward. Then another. Slowly it approached and ate. It never took its eyes off of me so I did the same. Then when it finished it disappeared into the night. I wasn’t sure, but was this what it was like to bond with a cat? I’d have to ask Blaster.

\---------------------------------------------------------  
I ran through the storm in search of shelter. The past few months had not been fruitful when it came to food or luck. Larger beasts had moved into my home forcing me to find another. I had no desire to fight something that was so much larger than I. Creatures my own size were trouble enough. Unfortunately that also meant that my previous hunting and scavenging grounds were no longer options either. With no other choice I moved on. My search found me nothing but more trouble. I was chased out of others territory. Challenged as it was believed that my intrusion was on purpose.  
  
I hurt. My stomach was empty. I wanted nothing more than to rest, but this storm had proved my temporary shelter wasn’t good enough. So I ran and squeezed into the first dry space I came across. It was damp, but it was far better than being under the full weight of the storm. Cold and exhausted I lay to rest and wait out the storm.  
  
I was ripped from my sleep by a foreign sound. I backed further into my shelter and glared at the threat. A large predator. One species that roamed the lands as far as the eye could see. The scent of food had filled the area as I came to a sudden conclusion. It lived here. I had made an awful mistake. Using the nearest escape route I fled, thankful the rain had ceased at least. I hid and listened as it finally moved. But it didn’t give chase. I peeked through gaps in my hiding place. It went up and disappeared, leaving the food to waste.  
  
Well if it was going to leave it there unguarded then I would take it and teach it a lesson. Leaving your meals unguarded was stupid. However my lessons weren’t going through it seemed. Each night it left its catch unguarded and each night I’d claim it. It was pathetic. No matter how much I took it never learned. I’d have to give it a more obvious lesson. So one night as it left its food I made myself obvious. It watched me and then sat down. It Watched me. It didn’t seem to be connecting the dots yet so I moved toward it slowly. One step at a time. Trying to get it to understand. But it didn’t even move when I started eating. With my meal finished I disappeared into the bushes.This lesson didn’t even phase it. What was wrong with it? Did no one teach it anything on how to survive. I couldn’t very well leave it on its own like this. It would starve. Looks like finding a new home was going to have to be put off for awhile.


	2. Not Feral?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaster and Jazz start to think that Maybe Prowl isn't feral.

“There’s a dead bird on your steps.” Was the first thing that Blaster said when he came in.  
  
“Another one?”  
  
“Looks like that cat’s taken a liking to you.”  
  
“Its great and all that its thankful, but I’m getting a little sick of picking up its little gifts. One of my neighbors down there has a kid and the poor kid shrieked when they saw one of them. So now I gotta keep an eye out so that I’m the first one to see it.”  
  
“It’s been out there for a while. Maybe it’s someone’s pet that got lost. Feral cats don’t usually act like this. We should get a picture of it and set up posters or something.”  
  
“I’m starting to think that too. I’ll try to catch a picture of it the next time I feed it.”  
  
That was the plan at least. The darkness and with the flash didn’t give the best pictures. Not only that, but I swore it was giving me a dirty look. I suppose that I understood. I didn’t much appreciate the flash either. I gave a sigh. Maybe I should just catch it and take it inside. It would make things easier if I had the cat when its owners came for it. I watched it head off into the night once more. Tomorrow night I’d try to move a bit closer. Once I had its trust enough to be close to it I’d catch it.  
  
Each night I moved closer and it watched me warily. Sometimes it would scamper off, no doubt afraid, and I’d have to try the next night at a further distance. But no matter how many times I accidentally made it run it always came back the next night and I always found some creature dead at my doorstep later. And finally when I was able to sit right next to it I steeled myself for scratches and bites and… chickened out. I let it walk off without trying to touch it. This process continued for many nights until finally I worked up the nerve to reach for it. Only it jumped away. I paused, but it didn’t run so I tried again.  
  
It jumped up and onto the top of the garbage bin and stayed. Just staring at me. Each attempt had it evading and circling around me. It was making a fool out of me and I had no doubt that if Blaster saw this then he’d have a real good laugh. I gave out a yelp when it jumped onto my leg and bit me. Thankfully I wasn’t wearing shorts this night. I stared it down. It’s tail was lashing back and forth as it eyed me. Then it made the first sound I had ever heard it make since I first found it and it hissed. It meowed at me. Did it think this was a game? With a sigh I decided to give up. This wasn’t working out. I’d have to figure something else out. I snorted when it meowed after me. Yep. It thought that this had been a game. At least we were bonding.

\------------------------------------------  
I gave it a meal in return for the one I took each day and when I came back it was gone. I felt a bit of relief that it was eating something at least. But this would not do. I couldn’t just keep feeding it and it couldn’t just keep letting me steal from it. There was some miscommunication between us that would no doubt be difficult to fix. It obviously wasn’t bright, but I’d have time to figure out a way to get it to understand so long as there was enough food around and no threats about. However it was starting to act a bit strangely. Then came a bright flash. Like the sun had suddenly appeared for a moment and I flinched away. It was brighter than the lights that hung on the metal structures. Brighter than the lights that filled the large dens of the larger creatures. But it went away rather quick leaving spots in my vision. What had that thing done? I glared at it and stubbornly continued eating. If it thought that it would be able to scare me away like that then it was sadly mistaken. Maybe it was learning after all.  
  
It was starting the inch closer to me each night and I stood my ground. Was it seriously afraid of me? It was bigger than I was. No doubt tougher too. It needed to learn to use that. Use its size and the fear it inflicted in others to protect itself and hunt for larger game. If it couldn’t stand up to me then it was truly going to starve out here. It had to learn that it could scare us away by just being more assertive. So I trotted away when it made too sudden of a move. Hopefully by observation it would understand that it could defend its catch with ease.  
  
Unfortunately that wasn’t working out. It withdrew when I left and the next time approached much slower. I’d have to think up another way to teach it because this wasn’t working. I couldn’t keep feeding it. I wouldn’t be able to give it enough. I’d never be able to catch enough on my own to keep it fed. For days I thought and planned as it sat next to me. Then something happened. I looked up at the creature. It had a more serious aura about it tonight. Was… Was it finally getting it?  
  
I leaped out of them way then it reached for me. Yes. It was finally realizing that it was a bad hunter. A coward. It wanted to train. Good. The relief that this gave me was a breath of fresh air. None of its attacks would cause any damage and it was too slow. It was like a kitten that was first learning through play fights. The fact that it was stuck at this level for so long was concerning and I wondered how it had lasted so long. Well I’d teach it. And it would become an expert soon enough. Then I could move on.  
  
I dashed forward and caught its back leg. Biting hard enough to cause discomfort, but no real damage before bounding back when it aimed for me again with a yelp. Finally it was showing some guts. I could work with this. I waited for the next strike as it hesitated.  
  
“Come on. I’m not going to really hurt you. Try again.” I encouraged, only it just turned and headed up and back towards its den. “Hey! You can’t just give up so easily!”  
  
My call did nothing to sway it into continuing our sparring match. Another night perhaps. I’d train that cowardice out of it yet.


	3. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl fights an intruder.

Each time I tried to catch that cat it always evaded me and countered every time it had a chance. Biting and hitting at me. This was getting rather ridiculous and I was sure that I was putting on quite the show. My neighbors no doubt thought that I was crazy with all the curses that I was throwing around in trying to catch this cat. But each night I gave up and went back in empty handed.  
  
Then one night as I was getting ready to feed my furry friend I heard some strange sounds followed by a bang. I sped walked to the door and threw it open. Upon looking down I saw the cat fighting with the opossum. The damned thing was back and it was hurting my little pal. I felt my heart race when the cat let out a shriek of pain. I raced down the stairs as the fight continued below me. They tumbled about, clawing and biting at each other. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do at this point or how I was going to separate them, but I wasn’t about to just let that opossum kill that cat. Especially not when it was defending my yard like this.  
  
“Hey! Get off my cat you damned rodent!”  
  
As I rounded the side of the staircase I saw the cat biting down hard on the opossums throat as it thrashed and fought. I was caught between letting it continue, but at the same time it was bleeding. A lot. The cats coat was practically stained with its own blood. I for the first time touched the cat. Trying to get it to release the thing so I could try and doctor it up.  
  
“Shit. That’s enough. Come on let go.”  
  
I struggled with the animals a moment before the creature was released. I didn’t bother watching it scurry back into the bushes and out of sight. Just lifted the cat and started up. I was quick to set the cat on the couch before heading toward the bathroom. What was I supposed to do to heal a cat? It wasn’t like I could just stick a bandaid on it and some antibiotic cream. It would lick it off and the band aid wouldn’t stay. I’d just have to wash it out as best as I could and take it to the vet tomorrow. Wetting a cloth I rushed back to find that the cat had not moved. I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. The moment I touched the cloth to its wounds it flinched away and gave out a meow.  
  
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just bear with me awhile. I’m sorry.” I chanted as I cleaned what I could see.  
  
My only response was a soft mew, but it didn’t fight me and I was thankful. When I finished it did look a bit better. It looked much better without blood clotting its fur, but it was obvious that some of its wounds were still trying to clot.  
  
“Just hang on ok? Tomorrow I’ll take you into the vet. We’ll get you better. You can rest here tonight.”  
  
I didn’t get an answer, not that I truly expected one. This was the best that I could do tonight. The rest would have to wait for tomorrow.

\-----------------------  
Every night I sparred with it. And every night I won. However, it filled me with a small sense of pride that it was getting better. Though it did give up quite easily yet. That was something that I had to train out of it, but one step at a time as they say. If I pushed it too hard it may give up on getting any better at all. However, one late night as I waited for it to appear for our session an intruder appeared. A filthy tree rat. An opossum. I had to get rid of it before it came out or it would get hurt. It wasn’t quite ready to face a real foe yet. It wouldn’t be able to defend its territory. So I stepped into the light as it approached its den.  
It hissed at me and I hissed right back, baring my fangs and arching my back to appear larger than I was. No words were needed for either of us to understand what was going on here. A fight for territory was inevitable. I started our match by clawing at it when it tried to scare me away by getting too close. Aiming for the eyes I lunged after it when it retreated. This turned into a nasty battle. Both of us clawing and biting at each other. Nosies of anger and pain leaving our throats as we fought, bumping into a variety of objects that ended up in our path. While I knew that I was outweighed by the thing by quite a bit I had something to protect yet and I couldn’t back down. Besides I had faced worse odds and survived.  
  
Then the sound of the creature leaving its den broke my concentration. The opossum bit into my shoulder and I yowled before biting back fiercely. I had to get this thing to flee before it targeted it. It would be helpless against this thing in its state. If it couldn’t beat me then it wouldn’t be able to beat this. Something with the intent to hurt, to kill.  
  
“Hey! Get off my cat you damned rodent!”  
  
It made an enraged sort of sound and I rushed to finish this before it had the chance to get itself hurt with its reckless behaviour. However time was not on my side as it came down from its den. Yet it was that very sound that gave me my chance. As my foes attention was drawn to the loud noise it made I made for its throat. Clamping my jaws around its throat, cutting off air. It came closer as the threat thrashed and clawed at me, trying to get me to let go. But I couldn’t. If I let go then I’d lose my advantage. I’d put it in danger. Then it touched me, irritating my wounds.  
  
“Shit. That’s enough. Come on let go.”  
  
Its tone was soft. Was it worried? Geez. It really was pathetic. Fights like this were common place out here and if it couldn’t handle this then it really wouldn’t survive. But it really did sound upset. Maybe scaring it like this wasn’t the best plan. I released the filthy creature and it fled like the cowardly rat it was. I didn’t have time to celebrate the little victory that I had as it lifted me and headed for its den. It really was such a weak and trusting thing. Bringing me into its den like this. Though I had to admit that it was far warmer inside of its den. It set me on a soft surface before disappearing for a bit and returning. I jumped when it touched me with a wet fabric. Just what was it trying to do?! Water sticks in the coat and weighs you down. I couldn’t afford to be weighed down right now.  
  
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”  
  
My only response was a series of repeated sounds. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Just bear with me awhile. I’m sorry.”  
  
It was obviously still upset and I gave a huff. Maybe if I let it do this then it would calm down.  
  
“If you’re trying to help then you’re being too rough.” I spoke, but it didn’t seem to help much.  
  
It was a little later when it finally stopped and made more sounds. “Just hang on ok? Tomorrow I’ll take you into the vet. We’ll get you better. You cat rest here tonight.”  
  
Then after a while it left me. I was too sore to move, my wounds ached, and my fur felt heavier, but… This spot was soft and comfortable. Maybe it would be ok to rest here for awhile.


	4. The Vet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl goes to the vet.

Today was the day. I was going to have to take the cat into the vet, but there were rules. Any animal needed to be in either a pet carrier or on a leash. I had neither of those so I had ended up calling Blaster. He had a dog. Had a cat in the past. He probably had something that I could use and if not then I’d just have to go and buy a small carrier. Thankfully he had what I needed. I’d have to really thank him soon. He was a better friend than I deserved. Guy was nocturnal as much as I was and he still picked up when I called him this morning. He was even coming over to deliver the carrier for me.  
  
I cast a glance to the cat on my couch. It still hadn’t moved since last night. It really must be hurting. I could see some of the wounds where the fur had parted in my effort to clean them out last night. Red and irritated jagged marks and punctures where fangs had pierced it. The remnants of its battle stuck in its claws and in spots on its mouth. Fur and blood. It took a moment to wonder if I should attempt to feed it. It had to be hungry. It hadn’t had the chance to eat anything last night. I should have fed it before I left it alone, but I didn’t want to risk bothering it anymore than I had. The knock on my door startled more than just me. The cat jumped a bit at the sound. I was quick to let my friend in.  
  
“Hey, so you finally got the thing inside, huh?”  
  
“Yep. Thanks for this. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”  
  
“Struggle. That’s what you’d do. So where is- oh wow. What did you say it fought again?”  
  
“That opossum that’s always going through our trash. The sounds of that fight was chilling enough, but to see it. It was pretty brutal.”  
  
“I can see that. Have you fed it?”  
  
“I didn’t have the chance to last night, but I was thinking out trying to get it to eat.”  
  
"Unless it's throwing up you don’t want an animal going in on an empty stomach. They’ll be irritated enough as it is going there. Don’t want hunger to make it worse. Speaking of food you should feed me too.”  
  
“Aw come on. First the cat, now you?”  
  
“Hey I got up and came here for you. I think I deserve food.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t pester it while I’m busy.”  
  
I turned and headed into the kitchen area. I took out the dish of shredded turkey I was in the middle of making for the cat last night. It was just store bought sliced turkey for sandwiches, but the cat had liked it the last time and it was a cheap enough way to feed it without going out of my way to buy it actual cat food. It was there already after all. Then I grabbed a couple of pizza pockets and tossed them into the microwave.  
  
“Yasss. Lay onto me the sacrifice of food.”  
  
“Your sacrifice will be ready in another minute.”  
  
The moment the timer hit zero I slid one onto another plate and shoved it into his face. “Here. Shove this in your mouth and let it undo my dept to the ancient one.”  
  
“The ancients are pleased, yes. Hot, hot, hot.”  
  
“I’d ask if you never learn, but then I’d be a hypocrite.”  
  
“If I don’t bite off the front then it won’t vent and cool. You know that’s how it works.”  
  
I didn’t bother replying and approached the cat with the little dish of turkey. It didn’t look up until I sat next to it. It stared at me a moment before thankfully eating. That was one thing that I didn’t have to worry about. So long as it was eating it had to be ok for now.  
  
“That’s a relief.” I breathed.  
  
Then I looked at my friend who was doing that open mouth chew because he took a bite before it was cool enough to eat and I put my head in my hands a moment.  
\-----------------------------  
Stomachs full, we were ready to try and put this cat into the pet carrier. We set the carrier down with the cage open. We hesitated a moment before I reached for it to move it into the carrier. It growled at me before I even touched it. Then it meowed angrily at me when I lifted it.  
  
“I know. I know, you hurt. I’m sorry.”  
  
It hissed when we tried to put it through the mouth of the little box. Then it started struggling. We did our best to keep a hold of it through its fighting as we did our best to get it into the carrier without hurting it more. But soon enough we had it inside though we were covered in scratches. It yowled angrily as it turned to face the mouth only to have its way blocked by the metal bars. I didn’t bother trying to test my luck and hurried off to the vet. It hissed and spat at me the whole way there, but the moment we stepped through the door and into the clinic it got strangely silent. All through checking in it was quiet. Then because of the situation it was brought to a back room to be looked over when the time came and I was left to wait.  
  
And wait I did. Wait and wait and wait. Wait as they searched for any missing pets that looked like him. Wait as they checked him over. Wait and watch other people with their pets. I had given them free reign to do what they needed to so no doubt they would take their time and do the most expensive rout. And when they finally returned with it I stood. Half of the things that they explained that they did and what it had I didn’t understand. But I did understand was that it wasn’t to go return outside for a least a week or more and that they had, had to stitch up the bite in its shoulder. Then there was the fact that it should be brought back in for its shots. Vaccinations. And it was all Expensive.  
  
When I turned back a little collie was looking in at it. Nothing was happening so I decided not to worry about it. With the cat dewormed, defleaed, and probably very irritated despite its silence I brought it back home and let it out. It didn’t move and I found I couldn’t blame it.

\-----------------------------  
I was torn out of my slumber by a loud sound. Instantly alert I searched for the source. I simply watched as it let another of its kind into its den. It was quick to start communicating with it so I scratched the possibility of it being a threat and tried to get comfortable again. They sure were loud. Were they all like this? No wonder they couldn’t catch anything if they were this loud all the time. Speaking of hunting I wasn’t sure how I was going to feed it and train it like this. Everything was sore and moving pulled at one wound or another. If I couldn’t get it enough to eat then it would starve. Then the scent of food had me looking up. Ah so this other one was feeding it for me. Good, but it really needed to learn and quit being so dependent on others to survive like this.  
  
I looked up at it when it sat by me. More food. So the other one had been the source of what I was taking as well? It really was weak. How could it stand having to feed this one all the time? That at least took some stress off of me. I could rest for a while without the fear of it starving. Then once I was better we could begin our training again as that other one didn’t seem interested in training. Maybe they were siblings from the same litter and it felt obligated to take care of its runt sibling. I could ponder that another time though. For now I had a free meal. I stretched carefully and ate the strange meat.  
When they had finished their own meals they began staring at me. What did they want now? If they wanted this spot they weren’t going to have it. It was comfortable here and it was warm. They’d just have to find their own spots. Then they set a strange box on the floor. Nope. I wasn’t trading. I was comfortable here and I wasn’t moving. I growled warningly when it reached to try and move me. This was my spot.  
  
“No. Find your own spot. This one is mine.” I snapped when it lifted be anyway.  
  
I hissed when it had the nerve to try to put me into the box. Why were these things so dumb. I had made it very clear that I didn’t want to be moved, I thought. If they were too slow to understand that I didn’t want to trade this stupid box over that warm spot then I would have to be more rough with them to get my point across. I struggled and fought them and in turn they fought just as hard. What was wrong with them? I soon enough got my answer when I turned to find that I I was trapped.  
  
“Betrayal! You backstabbing mongrel!”  
  
I slipped against the smooth bottom of the box as it was lifted. I snarled and hissed at it as my prison was moved. Then a strange smell hit my nose. Noises bounced around my little prison. Other creatures. Dogs, cats, and other creatures I had never smelled before. I moved further back into the small space. Something wasn’t right. And when the door to my cage was opened I didn’t try to escape. But my cage was tipped and with nothing to cling to I was slid out and onto a cold surface covered in fabrics.  
  
“Alright kitty lets take a look at you, hm?”  
  
This room smelled horrible and there were dangerous looking objects here. They communicated with each other as I fought and struggled. They stuck strange things in my ears and pried open my mouth. They touched and irritated my wounds, making them sting before strangely losing feeling. The fact that my wounds no longer hurt was something I used to my advantage, but due to their size and strength nothing I did worked. By the end of it I was happy to collapse in the little prison just so long as it got me away from them and the horrible smells. But the bad smells followed me. Clung to me and I shuddered.  
I didn’t move when I heard it talking to the bad smelling creatures. I didn’t move when the face of a small dog peeked in at me. Its coat was shiny and soft looking. Its eyes a bright and warm brown. It didn’t seem dangerous, but even if it was I was safe from it in my little prison.  
  
“Hello.”  
  
“Go away.”  
  
“Really? Are you hurting? That looks painful.”  
  
“Yes. These creatures are cruel.”  
  
“Really? But I always have fun here. One time I hurt my leg so bad I couldn’t play anymore. Then I was taken here and they fixed it. I didn’t hurt anymore. Ever since then I like it here.”  
  
“But I was fine before I came here.”  
  
“Really? You don’t look fine. Really?”  
  
“Yes. Really.”  
  
“Really? Well even so maybe your family was worried about you so they took you here.”  
  
“First, it’s not my family. Second, I’m the one who has to worry about it.”  
  
“That’s strange. Really? If you’re not family then why are you here?”  
That conversation was thankfully cut short as it took my cage. Soon enough the door was opened to my prison and the scent of its den came back. I decided to just rest where I was.


	5. Prowl Gets His Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl gets real food and a name. And Mayyyybe Blasters not so bad.

I was a bit confused when a knock sounded on my door the next morning. No one I knew bothered to get up so early as ten am. I and all of my current friends were night owls. So I ended up sneaking around close to the floor to peek through the window to see if it was someone that I wanted to see. If someone saw my shadow then they’d know that I was home for sure, car or no car. Then I’d have to answer it. Upon peeking out I saw that it was Blaster and breathed a sigh.  
  
“Warn me next time. I was paranoid my neighbor was coming to complain or something.” I breathed when I opened the door.  
  
“Whatever, whatever. It’s not like you’d answer your phone if I called you.” He answered, shoving past me and into the house.  
  
“So what do you want.”  
  
“Well my dear friend. I have brought actual cat food.”  
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“It’s less expensive than just feeding him meat for one. Two, you can’t just keep feeding him whatever. Ain’t good for him. Cats have sensitive digestive systems. So here you are. Kitty Kibble and some soft stuff. Steeljaw used to love this flavor. Gravy and beef and in second was tuna and cheese. I got a few other flavors like shrimp so we could figure out what he likes best. All animals are different.”  
  
“Are you serious. You know you didn’t have to-”  
  
“Of course I did. You don’t know anything about animals. You wouldn’t have known where to start with picking good cat food. All you’ve ever had on the brain is music and mischief. Now go get the old scratching post out of the car. I’m gonna feed him.”  
  
“Why me?”  
  
“Because Steeljaws old scratching post is heavy and I’m not going to carry it all the way up here. So go. Make yourself useful. By the way we need to name him!” He shooed me away.  
I didn’t bother trying to argue with him. I did owe him for doing all of this for me in the first place. So I went down and got the old post. The old rope that wrapped around it was worn, but still in decent shape for having that huge monster of a cat that was Steeljaw using it once upon a time. When I had finally managed to get the thing in the door I noticed that Blaster had helped himself to something to eat as well.  
  
“You need more variety for pizza pockets.”  
  
“I happen to like that flavor.”  
  
“It’s disgusting.”  
  
“Then why are you eating it?”  
  
“It’s food and it was there. So lets go. Names. I don’t want to keep calling him cat and kitty.”  
  
“Uh, I don’t know. What do you name a cat?”  
  
“Well usually you pick a name that suits the animals personality. Or just a name you like I suppose.”  
  
I took a moment to think. An animal’s personality? I hadn’t really thought about animals having individual personalities before. He was white. Ghost? Too eerie. I hadn’t ever felt afraid of it. Snow? Too gentle. It had fought and almost killed that trash robber of a rat opossum. Maybe going by fur color was a bit too simple. I thought of how it had always come back no matter how many times I had scared it away. How it had been peeking around the side of the garage every night. Always waiting.  
  
“Prowl?”  
  
“Why are you asking me? If you think its good then we’ll call him Prowl. You’ve spent more time with him than I have so I don’t know what he’s like. He’s your cat. Now lets celebrate with a real pizza.”  
  
“You’re still hungry?”  
  
“Of course.”

\-------------------------  
Just what was it doing now? Was it trying to practice hunting on its own? It was far too clumsy. I’d have to give it lessons on how to stalk its prey too when I felt better. This was ridiculous. Then its den opened up again and in came the sibling. They were yapping again. Couldn’t they ever be quiet? I gave a soft huff and watched as it left its den leaving me alone with its sibling. Said sibling went into the area with the cold floor and started working on something. I watched him in silence, still a bit wary from our last encounter. Then I smelt it as well as saw it. Ah. Food. It was feeding us again.  
  
“Here kitty maow. I got you some good stuff.”  
  
It set a strange looking food in front of me. I was grateful for not having to move to actually get my own food, but this was one was far too nice. Giving away food so often, it had to be starving itself. I’d have to work on this one too. It’s hunting skills were fine, but this would not do. That’s two creatures I’d have to teach now. That would have to come later though.  
  
For now I had to eat and heal. It smelt fine, but it looked strange. It leaked a strange substance. Was it some creature I hadn’t been able to hunt before? Something too large? Something too far from my territory? I licked at it carefully. Though cold and not freshly caught it was good. Very good. This one was forgiven for its behavior the last time we met. I briefly glanced up when it returned to its den with an odd item. That wasn’t food. Did it seriously go out to hunt and come back with something that Wasn’t food? It really was hopeless. But at least it had the other one for now. I really had my work cut out for me. But so long as I kept getting this to eat then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.


	6. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz learns things and tries to teach Prowl his name.

The first thing that I discovered as a new pet owner was that cats did not like any sudden loud noises and that included guitar solos when my neighbors were gone at around one pm. The second thing I learned was that Prowl specifically did not like loud guitar solos. The first time he had hidden and the second time he had attacked my guitar. Or maybe it was me. It was kind of difficult to tell with how quickly that had ended. Me lifting my treasure up so he couldn’t damage it. So when I played it was either outside in the garage or played at a very low volume like I was trying not to wake the neighbors downstairs.  
  
Third on that list was that at seemingly random times Prowl would attack me. I wasn’t sure if he was angry because I had trapped him inside or if this was about the vet thing. Either way he would seemingly come out of nowhere and bite at my leg or jump on my stomach. Then he would walk right off like nothing had happened. So now I was paranoid whenever I hadn’t seen him for too long a time. Blaster had never told me that owning a cat would be so stressful. Then there was the fact that for the life of me I couldn’t get him to learn his name. My complaints to Blaster, a pet lover and expert, apparently, had resulted in him snickering at my struggles. That resulted in another visit and this time I had different flavors of pizza pockets just for him as a thank you.  
  
“So, lets see Prowl. Where is he?” Was the first thing he said when he came in.  
  
“I don’t know. He’s probably skulking around and ready to attack again. I’m telling you he hates me. Maybe you should take him. You’re better with animals.”  
  
“Can’t.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Raindance is a happy go lucky retriever, yeah, but bringing him into the house now might do more harm than good. Cats don’t do well with change in the first place, but a hurt cat? I don’t think so. If you still don’t want him after he’s better I could try to take him.”  
  
“Ok, whatever. I have a variety of flavors of pizza pockets this time and you can have your choice of them if you figure out this cat and why he keeps attacking me.”  
Blaster scoffed at me, but the moment we moved toward the couch out came the demon cat. I gave him a look as Prowl bit his leg. Blaster however just let it happen and then reached down and flipped the cat over. Said cat bit and kicked at his hand and wrist.  
  
“Ow. You beast. At least we know you’re feeling better now.” He chuckled before pulling back.  
  
Prowl walked off as usual.  
  
“What was that?”  
  
“He’s trying to play with you, dumbass. You know? Trying to bond? Now lets see that selection. I deserve it, I think.”  
  
“Fine, go.”  
  
“Yessss.”  
  
And off went my friend to raid my fridge again.  
  
“Ok I have more questions though.”  
  
“Fire away.”  
  
“I can’t for the life of me get him to learn his name. How do you do that?”  
  
“Call his name when you feed him. Try talking to him instead of just trying to call him. He’ll get that you’re trying to talk to him if you do it enough. You got to look at him when you say his name or talk to him too or he’s not going to get that you’re talking to him. We talk a lot on the phone and to ourselves.”  
  
“Ok. By the by, he’s not into the scratching post.”  
  
“Give it time. Wait for Steels scent to leave it. He might take interest then. If not there’s sprays to make it seem more interesting.”  
  
With my questions answered for the time being we watched terrible TV and ate. The strange thing was that Prowl had decided to rub up against Blaster. Blaster just pet him absentmindedly.  
  
“I like this cat. I think I’m gonna come over more.”  
  
Of course. I'd at least have a back up close at hand when it came to this cat. Soon enough Blaster took his leave and I breathed a sigh. Checking the clock I decided that it was about time to feed Prowl. Time to get this cat to learn its name. Mission start and all that. I filled his bowl and set it down.  
  
“Prowl!”  
  
Nothing happened so I peeked out at him.  
  
“Prowl, come here.”  
  
Still nothing, but he was looking at me now. Well it wasn’t going to click right away. So breathed a sigh and left it at that for the night. I worked on getting him to understand what his name was daily. But it didn’t seem to be working. Then one night as I was feeding it something unexpected happened.  
  
“Prowl.” I called and it looked at me right away. “Prowl?”  
  
Was he getting it?  
  
“Prowl.” I tried again and I froze when it jumped down from the bookcase and started toward me. It looked up at me. Then it meowed and I smiled. Finally. We were getting somewhere. I took the bowl off the counter and he started eating.

\---------------------  
Living with it was very difficult. It went out hunting at weird hours and came back empty handed everytime. Anytime I attempted to teach it anything it wouldn’t even try. It was far too lax for a hunter so training had to happen in a safe environment. So I ambushed it from time to time. Moving in and giving a soft bite before retreating disappointed that it didn’t seem to be learning. However attacks didn’t always come from the ground. Crows and other birds often tried to steal your meal away. So I jumped down on it sometimes too. It had only successfully seen me coming three times now. I felt a bit of pride at that. It was learning. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to be enough to help it even scavenge for anything.  
  
Then there was that weird thing that it had. The noise maker. It was so loud that anything could pinpoint our location and take away its den. It was just one problem after another with it. All it had taken was one scolding though and now it did its noisemaking away from the den or much quieter. The latest mystery though was this repeated sound it did. It didn’t make much sense for it to repeat a sound so much. It had never done that before, so why start now. It had to mean something. I just had to put the pieces together and figure it out.  
  
A few days later the sibling came over, giving me the chance to train it and thank it. For without its help it would be starving and I would be struggling. However there was one problem. With its tendency to give away food it was endangering itself. So I’d have to mark it. I was a well known threat in enough areas so if I scent marked it that could keep thieves away. But first to test its reflexes. I had to make sure it could defend itself. I readied myself as they communicated as usual. Then as they stepped further into the den I struck.  
  
My strike hit just as usual, but instead of recoiling like it had this one fought back. It was using its superior size and strength against me.  
  
“Ow. You beast. At least we know you’re feeling better now.”  
  
We sparred for a moment more before it retreated. Good. This one could defend itself just fine. That was one more weight off of my back. I left to watch over them as per usual. They were loud together after all and even if its sibling was capable I had to make sure nothing snuck up on them. When they sat I set about scenting the sibling. Marking him. No one would dare steal from him now. Then once I decided that he was thoroughly marked I returned to my spot on the shelf to watch. They interacted for a while before the sibling left again. It got up and went back to the cold floored room which I was quickly understanding as where they stored their food. The soft jingle of food before he said that strange sound again.  
  
“Prowl!” How strange. It was looking at me now. “Prowl, come here.”  
  
Then it seemed to give up and returned to its sleeping space. There was something I wasn’t understanding. I had to figure this out. For days it said the strange word. It always looked at me when it said it. And then one day it clicked.  
  
“Prowl.”  
  
I looked up. Not wanting to miss anything that had to do with the strange sound. Prowl...  
  
“Prowl?”  
  
I looked at it. Trying to piece it together. It said that word when it looked at me so it wanted something. I looked at it a moment longer and then I got it.  
  
“Prowl.”  
  
I jumped down and headed forward. So that’s what it meant. Now to just confirm it. I looked up at it.  
  
“I think I get it now.”  
  
It smiled at me. So I was correct. That was one mystery solved. It gave me my dinner and I ate happily.  
Prowl meant food.


	7. Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl explores the kitchen.

This cat was a handful. I thought that they were nocturnal, but Prowl had taken to wandering at random times. More than once I had heard him knock something over. He wanted on top of the bookshelf all the times now. It had to be a cat thing to want to be up high. And on cue I was awoken by a loud thump. I looked at the clock. Noon. For the love of all that was good and holy this cat was trying to kill me.  
  
“Shut up!” I shouted to the cat and I got a meow in response. “Prowl! Go do something else!”  
  
Then there was blissful silence. Thank you. At least that was how it was for about five minutes. I was almost back to sleep when I heard another crash.  
  
“Prowl!” I warned and got another meow.  
  
Damn that cat. Blaster never warned me that they talked back. I pulled a pillow over my head in hopes to muffle the noise. The clatter of plastics and pots made me scream into the pillow. What the hell was it doing?!  
  
“Prowl, I swear if you don’t knock it off you’re going back to the streets!”  
  
I breathed a sigh and decided that I should get up now and see what he was doing. The more I put off getting up the more damage he’d do. I stepped out and into the living room to see that the dragon shaped candle was on the floor again, but more importantly I saw the disaster that was the kitchen. I moved forward to see that most of the kitchens contents were on the floor. All cleaning supplies were knocked on the floor, but thankfully in mostly the same area. The tupperware on the other hand had scattered everywhere. Lids and containers had rolled off in random directions. And there was the cat, pushing out the bag of cat food. It looked up at me and meowed. I was going to kill this fucking cat by the end of the week.  
  
“Dammit Cat!”  
  
My anger didn’t seem to phase him. He just walked off, leaving me to deal with the mess. Yep. I was going to end up murdering this cat.

\-------------------------  
It was becoming obvious that I needed a better place to stand guard. I couldn’t see them both when they moved around so much and all of the possible hiding places at once. Then I discovered the high ledge in the back of the main den area. However there was always something on it. So I knocked it off and it always returned it to the ledge. I didn’t want it there. It was in the way. If I needed to act quickly I couldn’t waste time trying to get around them. And like usual the object was back. So I slid it off again.  
  
“Shut up!”  
  
“I don’t want this here!” I called right back.  
  
“Prowl! Go do something else!”  
  
There was that sound again. Prowl. Food. Well my sentry spot was free of clutter again so I could go and investigate what it wanted. I jumped down and went right to the bowl that was designated as mine. Empty. So it hadn’t filled it. What did it want? Was it hungry? Jeez it was helpless. The good thing was that I knew there was stored food in here somewhere. All I had to do was find it. I set about exploring the area. Certain places on the bulky walls had secret spaces for hiding food. The first one that I opened up smelt rotten. These had obviously been here too long. No doubt it had forgotten about it as it wasn’t very intelligent. So I went about pushing out the strangely shaped and foul smelling things. They smelled so much like cruel creatures when I was stuck in the prison box. If I put it out in the open then it would know and get rid of it. So out it went.  
  
“Prowl!”  
  
“Give me a minute!”  
  
It was so impatient. I had to take care of this first. Then I could get it something to eat. With that done I went back to searching. The second hiding spot had useless pieces of garbage that was found everywhere outside the den. There was even a whole mountain of it where the rats breed further away from here. So out that went. It shouldn’t be collecting trash in its hiding spots for food.  
“Prowl, I swear if you don’t knock it off you’re going back to the streets!”  
  
Such an impatient thing. But if it wasn’t such a filthy creature and kept its den clean then this wouldn’t be a problem. The third spot was where the food was held. I had seen it pour it out of this many times. Then there was the good stuff that was held in the hard shell of the strange creature. Its shell somehow prevented it from having a real scent. The fact that it didn’t move had to be something that helped it survive. I’d have to figure out how to pry it open some other time. Right now I needed to get it fed so the usual stuff would have to do. Out this went and I’d have to drag it over. However I was interrupted by it entering the food storage area.  
  
“You need to take better care of your den.”  
  
“Dammit Cat!”  
  
Well I was sure that wasn’t a thank you for cleaning out its trash. If it wasn’t going to appreciate my efforts then I’d just leave it be. I had found the food so it could feed itself without trying to remember where it had hidden the fresh stuff now. Were they all so ungrateful?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the shorter chapter, but my inspiration comes at night, but I was very tired tonight. Thank you for reading though.


	8. Food for Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl tries to feed Jazz.

I stumbled into the house that night. Due to the danger of my state I had taken a cab home. Blaster had done the same and I was sure that by now he was puking and holding onto his dog. I would no doubt be doing the same as well. I more collapsed onto the floor than lay on it. I really shouldn’t have taken that challenge. That dude was an asshole, but I had to admit he made really good shots. Whatever that last batch was tasted like sunshine, but now I was regretting even looking at them.  
  
Shit I was gonna puke. I wanted to just curl in on myself at this point and die. I didn’t know why I never learned. Everytime I did this I cursed myself and yet I ended up doing it again at some point or another. Then I was distracted by my nausea by a peculiar sound. Something was being dragged. Silence… Draaaag. Silence… Draaaag. Then I felt the cat hitting at me.  
  
I looked up at it. Ice blue eyes never blinking or looking away. Then I noticed the bag of food. Had it really dragged that in here? Was it that hungry? Geez I swore I had filled his bowl before I had left, but now the memory was rather hazy and difficult to pull to the forefront of my mind. Then it tipped the bag over, spilling the half empty bag of kibble on the carpet. This cat. Why did he have to be such a problem? Against my better judgement I pushed myself up. My stomach lurched. Picking up the bag I slowly moved and filled its bowl before putting the bag away. I’d have to vacuum another day to get all of kibble out of carpet. It meowed at me.  
  
“It’s right there, Prowl.”  
  
I got another meow in response. Talking back again. Such a pain.  
  
“You can’t have anymore of the canned stuff. You need regular cat food too.”  
  
What was going on with my life? I was drunk and feeling sick and here I was arguing with a cat instead of laying in bed and being miserable and trying my best not to puke. And speaking of it I was off to the bathroom and turning out my guts like I had been struggling not to do for the last ten minutes or so. I dry heaved for a minute. I had to admit that I felt a little better than before, but most definitely not well. When I looked up I saw the strangest thing. Prowl was sitting with his back to me while he sat in the doorway. Weird, but I could puzzle that out another time. From there I stumbled and struggled my way to my bed and curled in on myself like I had planned. And for the first time ever Prowl joined me. He lay at my back and purred. The sound was soothing and the soft rumble was nice.  
  
Maybe having him here wasn’t so bad.

\--------------------------  
I looked up from my spot to see it practically fall into its den. Instantly I was alarmed. It was clumsy on any regular day, but it wasn’t This clumsy. I stood when it didn’t get back up. I jumped down and approached. Was it hurt? Had it gotten into a fight? I circled it. It didn’t seem to have any injuries, but it smelled strange. It had been somewhere that it must not normally go. Had it been out hunting all this time? Was it this hungry? I had been spending most of my time napping in the warm spot between training it so I didn’t know if it had eaten lately. There was plenty of food, but it had been starving itself? It really was hopeless if it was forgetting to eat. I’d have to get it something to eat now before it was too late. If you get too hungry it hurts and then you get cold and stop moving. You die. So off I went to the food room and worked open the hiding spot. Biting onto the food carrier I pulled. It was awkward having to drag it like this, but it was the only way. A few steps then pull. A few steps then pull. Once I was close enough I pawed at it.  
It looked up at me and still it didn’t move. This was concerning. I knocked the carrier over and spilt the food. Come on. Eat something before you stop moving and die. Then it slowly got up and I felt a bit better. If it could still move that was a good sign. But it didn’t eat. It just filled the bowl and put it away.  
  
“Eat something already!”  
  
“It’s right there, Prowl.”  
  
“Yes. Food. Now eat.”  
  
“You can’t have anymore of the canned stuff. You need regular cat food too.”  
  
Why was it so stubborn? Did it not understand that food would make it better? What was wrong with it? Then it was off. Turning is back on me and leaving. I followed. I couldn’t leave it alone like this. And then I got my answer. It was sick. The question was, how long had it been sick? It hadn’t seemed sick when it left the den. Had it eaten something poisonous? Something that wasn’t a fresh kill? Either way I couldn’t leave it alone like this. It was far weaker than usual now. So I sat in the opening to the small alcove with my back to it and guarded it while it struggled to gain its bearings.  
  
When it got up and struggled to its sleeping space I followed and when it collapsed and jumped up and lay next to it after it had settled. After getting comfortable I purred like I was trying to comfort a kitten. Caring for it was hard work.


	9. Prowl the Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl does not like it when people come in unannounced.

Well this was just great. This one room wasn’t working. A whole room. I had noticed that the lights weren’t working when I went to bed, but I had foolishly hoped that they would have miraculously fixed themselves by the time I woke up this morning. They were not. And since I had absolutely no idea how to go about messing around to find the problem, let alone fix this I was stuck calling the landlord and complaining, then getting a guy to come in and fix it. That call had led to me leaving a key under the mat at the door the next day so I could go out and get some shopping done. I really needed more pizza pockets, but then again I needed more of a lot of things. So I’d have to go to the bank as well. I probably should get some new guitar strings while I was out as well. Prowl was a pretty calm cat. He would be fine. So out I went.  
  
However when I came home it was to a rather disturbingly funny scene. The utility guy was up on the counter with Prowl hissing and growling at the man from the tile below.  
  
“Oh hell no. Are you kidding me?”  
  
“You have a fucking demon for a pet!”  
  
The poor guy flinched when Prowl hissed again. Just what the hell had Prowl done to the guy? I dropped my bags and walked over to pick Prowl up and get him away from the poor guy.  
  
“I’m so sorry. I’ve never seen him act this way with people before.”  
  
Hesitantly he slipped off the countertop. Prowl tried to hit at him from where I was holding him. Despite my apologies and reassurances he left rather swiftly. Dropping Prowl I decided to call Blaster. I needed the electricity fixed so I needed Prowl to… well not be here for when it happened if he was going to do this.  
  
“Yeah what’s up?”  
  
“Uh, I need you to take Prowl for a little while. A day at most.”  
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“The electricity isn’t working in the livingroom and Prowl just attacked the utility guy while I was out.”  
  
“What? Seriously?”  
  
“Yeah. I- Prowl, get out of that bag! You’re going to suffocate yourself!”  
  
I jumped up at the sight of Prowl looking through the plastic bags. I could hear Blaster laughing at me through the phone while I pulled him out. The cat had the nerve after all it had done today to nuzzle at me. This was going to be a long day and I was going to be so happy to have a break from this animal.

\-------------------------  
It had been pacing around quite a lot. It was disturbing. There didn’t appear to be anything that was wrong, but here it was. Pacing and making sounds to itself again. I huffed and turned my back to it. It wasn’t making any more sense than usual. It did what it wanted to do no matter what I did to help it. So if it was going to freak out over nothing then it could do so. And then after it had circled the room at least a dozen times I headed out of the den and I heaved a sigh of relief. Now I could get some actual sleep.  
  
At least that’s what I thought. I heard the den open up again a while later. That was way shorter than I had hoped. I looked up to greet it and see if it had caught anything and froze. Intruder. It just walked in like it owned the place. No way. It was not taking over this den. I let out a hiss and the intruder jumped. Good. It should be scared. But it just continued after my threat. If it couldn’t take a hint then I was just going to have to run it out myself. I jumped down from my spot and gave chase. It had crouched down in the main den area. It was fiddling with something. I was not going to let it mark this area as its own.  
  
“Shoo. Go away, kitty.” The intruder swatted at me and I clawed at it. “Ow. Shit. Go away. Get.”  
  
I gave another hiss before I lunged, biting and clawing. It recoiled. I kept up my assault and it withdrew. However it was dense if it didn’t understand that it wasn’t welcome so I ended up chasing it around the den.  
“Go away!”  
  
“This is our den! Get out!”  
  
That loud sound wasn’t going to scare me. I was the one who had it on the run. I lunged at its leg and it stumbled back.  
  
“Fuck off, demon cat!”  
  
It yelped as it jumped up onto a ledge in the food storage room. I hissed and growled at it, but it didn’t move. Fine. Then I’d keep it here and when it came back we’d toss it out together. So I waited. Hissing whenever it made a move. And when I finally heard it enter the den I had spark of satisfaction zip through me. This would be over soon.  
  
“Oh hell no.”  
  
Yep. It was back.  
  
“Are you kidding me?”  
  
“You have a fucking demon for a pet!”  
  
I hissed at it for its outburst. It wasn’t going to be scaring anyone away. It was the one that didn’t belong here. Then it came over and lifted me. It was communicating with the intruder and I tried to hit at it with a hiss. Trying to warn it not to try anything. It would pay if it did. And then it fled. Taking its trash with it. Good. We had successfully defended the den. However it quickly got back to talking to itself. So I went about investigating what it had brought into the den. I recoiled at first when the carrier shocked me before steeling myself and going in deeper. There were things inside. Then I heard it call out as it pulled me from it.  
  
“Yeah. I- Prowl, get out of that bag! You’re going to suffocate yourself!”  
  
Prowl. Food. It had brought home food. It was learning. So nuzzled and licked at it in praise. It had helped get rid of an intruder as well as successfully hunted for the first time.


	10. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl takes a trip to Blasters den.

I had no idea how this was going to work. Prowl did not trust the carrier at all. The cat much preferred the top of the bookshelf over any boxes. Blaster and I were having a bit of a staring contest with the cat. Prowl, without breaking eye contact slid the dragon candle off the bookshelf and onto the floor. Then it sat down and continued to watch us.  
  
“Do you see what I have to deal with now? This cat is getting on my last nerve and he had the guts to try and act cute after attacking someone.”  
  
“He’s a cat. They’re territorial.” He snickered at me.  
  
“Uh. Will you just take him. I can’t have him chase off another guy.”  
  
“Fine, fine. Get the carrier. Get a few toys for the ride and we’ll go.”  
  
“Uh, toys?”  
  
“... You’re kidding right? Please tell me you’re kidding.”  
  
“Uh…” I suddenly had the feeling that I was in danger.  
  
“Jazz. Have you really not gotten him anything to play with?”  
  
I didn’t have a response for that. None that he would like anyway.  
  
“He’s a cat. An animal. It isn’t good for them to Not play. They are active creatures. This is going to shorten his lifespan.”  
  
“How? He seems fine.”  
  
“Animals need to be active like we do. Or they get fat and get illnesses. They can get diseases like we do. Animals can get heart disease, they can get cancer. They can have liver problems. Plenty of problems can stem from them being motionless.”  
  
“In my defense he doesn’t seem too interested in playing. And he occasionally makes a run through the house at different times at night.”  
  
“Because he doesn’t have any toys! What is he supposed to do with all of his excess energy?!”  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll get him something.” I tried to quell my friends temper and get the lecture to stop.  
  
“Yeah. This cat is coming with me. We’re going to have so much fun he won’t want to come back.”  
  
“I’m not that bad. Come on, dude.”  
  
“You are a terrible owner. I should have given you a book on pet care and cats or something. This is my fault for letting this go on. Just… go get the carrier. Go.”  
Taking the dismissal as it was I went to the closet and brought out the little box. Now was the hard part. Prowl already knew something was up. It took a good half an hour of hisses and scratches before we got him in the freaking box.  
  
“Good luck?” I offered.  
  
“I’m not talking to you right now.” And off went my friend with a box full of angry feline.

\--------------------------------  
The sibling had come over today and I took that as my cue to go up to my sentry post. The only problem was that the obstructing thing was back. I stared at it, making sure it was watching. They both were. Good. It wasn’t connecting the dots, but the sibling was much smarter so maybe it would explain the situation. I slid off the object and sat in my sentry spot. That would have to do. I’d teach it as many times as necessary, but this was getting a bit ridiculous.  
  
And they were communicating. Maybe it would explain and this wouldn’t be a problem anymore. They chattered for awhile before it suddenly got quiet and it got up. I watched it and my hackles rose when I saw the prison box. They advanced on me and I fought back. Unfortunately their larger size once again bested me. The transport was much shorter this time around and I was quick to notice that this was not the foul smelling place. It smelt like… the sibling. And when the door to my prison opened I was left alone.  
I waited there for a long while before I felt comfortable to inch out. This was a den… The siblings den. But something else lived here too. I could hear the sibling interacting with it. Then came the bark. Ah. The sibling had a dog to help it hunt and guard the den. But… why did it want me here? I set out to investigate. I explored the area. Peeking into other areas of the den. This den had obvious signs of many creatures having lived here. Dogs don’t scent mark the area with claw marks and scent glands in their paws. And this warm spot had obvious signs of a cat being here. But… the scent was long gone. It didn’t live here anymore. So off I went.  
  
I trotted into what was obviously the sleeping room, but it was obvious the dog slept here too. There were chewed bones around the den, all of them in various states. And then I discovered the perfect box. Only a small open entrance and it was closed on all sides. Perfectly safe and dark for naps. I moved in slowly. This space was perfect, but then I understood. Its last resident had died… and died here. It was faint. It had happened a while ago and soon the scent would leave forever, but… I withdrew. I’d claim it when the scent fully faded. Protecting a den this large was hard work and if they died in battle then they deserve respect. So when the scent and spirit had finally gone… then I’d take it. It would be a waste for such a space to be uninhabited. So I took a place on the warm spot. I needn’t protect this den with the dog here to do it, and the sibling was competent. Speaking of the sibling it was going through something now. The large dog as happily watching the sibling.  
  
“Dog.” I called out and it turned, tail still fanning the air. “I want to ask you something.”  
  
It approached and simply waited without a word.  
  
“What happened to the last resident that was here?”  
  
“Huh? What last resident?”  
  
"The cat. There was a cat that lived here at one point.”  
  
“Oh. He was old when I got here. He died a while ago.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“I dunno. He just got sick one day and never got better. I liked him a lot. We used to play together. I miss him. He misses him too. We were a family. Are you going to stay here? Will you play with me?”  
There was that word again. Family. Families split apart when the kits got old enough. Then you never saw each other again. If they were a family and it wasn’t a guard for it then why were they still living together? The dog was old enough and strong and the sibling could hunt and was healthy as well. It didn’t make any sense.  
  
“No. I have to return to the den I currently share with another. It needs all the help it can get. So once your charge gets what it needs from me I’m going to go back.”  
  
“Aw. But we can play while you’re here right?”  
  
“I don’t have time to play fight with you right now. I need to figure some things out. Now explain to me why you’re still here.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Families split apart when pups and kits get old enough. So why are you here?”  
  
“Oh. Human families don’t really do that. They stay together for a long time and sometimes they don’t split at all.”  
  
Humans. Now I had a name for the species that it was.“... Like the cat that died here?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
Strange.  
  
“Alright, kitty cat. Lets see what you like.”  
  
We looked up when the sibling came out. It held various items.  
  
It took me some time to figure out what it wanted, but soon enough I understood that it wanted me to train. It wanted me to practice hunting with these things. So I chased the round noisemakers and killed and rekilled the fake squeaking mouse. And I was rewarded with a glorious meal. While the dog hadn’t done quite as well it was rewarded just as sweetly. It had spent most of its time running around and bringing things back. It was after my meal that I understood why I was brought here. It was to catch and kill That.  
  
It was quick and obviously too agile for the dog. The red creature had no scent and made no sound, but it was quick and had no problem climbing the walls and clinging to the ceiling. It was quite the daunting foe. I had chased it for hours. Whenever it seemed that I had caught it, it had somehow slipped away. The sibling was watching from his perch on the warm spot. It had to be afraid of it, that was why I was here. I couldn’t let it down. So I chased and pounced until it finally disappeared. That hunt was exhausting, but satisfying.


	11. Home Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz gets a lecture and Prowl comes home.

I drowsily looked at my phone on the nightstand and begrudgingly decided that it was about time that I got up. So off I went. Rolling out of bed and stretching before I was off to the kitchen. I had already filled the bowl when I realized that Prowl wasn’t there watching me. I glanced around a moment before the fog in my mind began to clear. And then I remembered. Right. Blaster took Prowl. Well he’d bring him back soon enough. So I left it and ate. Going about a routine that felt foreign to me now after having Prowl around for so long. I worked, I played ridiculously loud songs in the house, and watched shitty TV. Though I found myself talking about how stupid people were in those shows to a cat that wasn’t there and looking up before I played like he would come rushing in to scold me.  
It was strange going about my day without Prowl there. He was always following me around the apartment when I was doing things and napping when I was stationary. And it was a bit disappointing when I came home and he wasn’t on the bookshelf. Whenever I came back home he would look up and lock eyes with me and the dragon candle would be on the floor again. But not this time. The candle sat in its place untouched and no Prowl waited for me. I caught myself glancing at his bowl when I went about making myself something to eat. And when night rolled around I felt… surprisingly lonely. This had never happened before and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Having him not here wasn’t as fun as I had thought it would be. I couldn’t help but wonder if Prowl was doing ok over at Blasters.  
So the following day I called him. Prowl was due to come home and things were fixed up. Though I was a bit wary of my friend at the moment I wanted my cat back.  
  
“Yeah? Hey. Do you want me to come get Prowl or do you want to just drop him off?”  
  
“We need to talk. We can do it here or there. Your choice.”  
  
“Yeah I’d prefer to do it at your place so that I can escape here.”  
  
So that was that and I was off. I was dreading dealing with whatever mood my friend was in, but once it was over things would be fine. So when I came in and was ambushed by Raindance I spent some time petting and praising him to put off whatever I was going to have to endure. And as I sat on the couch like a child about to get a scolding I refused to meet his gaze.  
  
“So… What’s this about?”  
  
“Prowl.”  
  
“Is he ok?”  
  
“You don’t brush him at all, do you?”  
  
“Well he takes care of his fur himself right? He’s a cat?”  
  
“I fucking knew it.” He sighed and I knew that I had given the wrong answer.  
  
“Ok. We’re going to run through some things about cats. Then I am going to reluctantly, Very reluctantly, let you take Prowl back. Then I’m going to give you some animal care books when I get the chance and hope you figure some things out.”  
  
I did not like where this was going. I had no doubt that he’d quiz me on these supposed books I was supposed to read. So I’d have to read them. “...Ok.”  
  
“You do know that cats can cough up hairballs, yes?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Ok. Good. So where do you think this hair comes from?”  
  
“Uh… Their fur?”  
  
“Good. Now cats, they can’t digest their fur so it tends to just sit in their stomach. It stays there until there’s too much and then they cough it up. There are ways to help with this. First off is brushing the freaking cat.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“So get a brush.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“Prowl is a short haired cat so he won’t need to be brushed as often as a cat with longer hair.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“Now occasionally cats will throw up their dry food.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“This is usually because they don’t drink enough water.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“If the water dish is right by the food dish then they associate this with the water being tainted by the supposed decay of the food. Wild animals will do this and look for a new water source. House cats can’t do this because they are in a House.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“So by moving the water dish to another area and replacing it daily this can help the cat drink more. By giving them their wet food it helps with their water intake as well.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“Now we’ve been over this once, but animals are active creatures. They need to run and play.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“So you need to get Prowl some toys. It will keep him healthy and playtime is a good way to bond.”  
  
“Ok.”  
  
“Alright. Now tell me. Why do cats cough up hairballs?”  
  
“They can’t digest fur?”  
  
“Good. Now how do you help with this?”  
  
“Uh, brushing and water and wet food?”  
  
“Good. And how do you help a cat drink more?”  
  
“Replace the water every day?”  
  
“And?”  
  
“Uh, keep it away from the food?”  
  
“Good. Now why do animals need to play?”  
  
“Keeps them active and healthy.”  
  
“And what are you going to do?”  
  
“Get him a brush and some toys.” I was pouting like a child at this point, but Blaster didn’t seem to care.  
  
“Good. Now I noticed that he doesn’t have much interest in the balls with bells in them, but he liked the mouse with the electronic squeaker.”  
  
And now he was going on about toys. I really couldn’t wait until he was done. I looked over when Prowl jumped up onto the couch beside me. I felt happiness course through me. He missed me. That happiness fell away and gave way to apprehension and dread when we brought out the carrier. That was another twenty minutes of struggling and clawing, but we were getting better at this. And when I finally opened the carrier in the house, he didn’t hesitate. He was out and looking around the area. He must’ve missed home. My smile fell when he jumped up onto the bookcase and knocked over the candle.

\-------------------------------  
The sibling was a strange one. Though then again maybe it was just strange. It had made several angry sounds whenever I tried to help it clean its den. This one game me gratitude for scaring away the red creature that it had been so afraid of. It had a strange thing as a replacement for a tongue, but I had to admit that it did a very nice job of grooming. It covered far more area thus cleaning and maintaining more. It also felt rather nice. Having someone else groom me from time to time was a bit nice. It definitely helped relieve some stress. Though I had yet to understand why they talked to themselves so much. Maybe these humans were just a noisy species. Kind of like dogs.  
  
“I bet Jazz hasn’t brushed you at all. I’m going to have to get him a book to read or write him some do’s and dont’s or something. There. Your fur is so much more silky now. Isn’t that nice, Prowl?”  
  
“We just ate.” I huffed and it just did that strange baring of teeth that they did when they were happy. They truly were a strange species. Baring teeth was usually linked to aggression, but it appeared to be the opposite for them. Or maybe teeth weren’t seen a threat for them? I’d have to continue my observations to figure it out. One mystery at a time.  
  
“I’ll take that as a yes. Now then. We just have to figure out what to do with Jazz. You’re training him as well as you can, but we both know he needs far more help. I think he got a hint yesterday, but we’ll see. I’ll probably have to tell him that he needs to brush you and why. I know exactly what he’ll say. ‘But don’t cats take care of themselves?’ and then I’ll have to explain how fur works. Then about hairballs and what not.”  
  
I watched the dog chew and chew on its bone as the sibling talked. It had been chewing on that thing for almost an hour now. After eating it went outside and when it came in it had gone right to chewing. I simply lay and watched until the sibling quit its grooming and stood. Then the dog quit chewing and stood. It did not look happy. It followed the sibling around and then with a pat on the dogs head he was out. Then the dog sat down at the door and whined. I stared at it as it cried. I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Nothing had happened. It just went out to hunt.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
“What?” Came the whine.  
  
“Why are you doing that?”  
  
“Doing what?”  
  
“Crying.”  
  
“He’s gone. I miss him.”  
  
“... I don’t understand.”  
  
“He might never, ever, ever come back.”  
  
“He is an excellent hunter. He will be back. Surely this has occurred before?”  
  
“Yes. Almost everyday.”  
  
“Then why are you upset? Does he come home injured often?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“...”  
  
Humans weren’t the only mysteries. Nothing was wrong so I found myself a place to nap and settled. Then came a long whine. Then a pause. Then another… and another… and another. There would be no rest in here it would seem.  
  
“Dog. I’m going to rest in yours and the siblings sleeping space.”  
  
“Ok…”  
  
It didn’t move from its place. No aggression to my claim. Going into such a place should have been alarming. Like a claim to their den. It really was a pathetic creature. Maybe it was in need of support and wasn’t properly trained to survive? Then again dogs were rarely alone. They had a strange pack system in place. I didn’t understand it, but I knew they didn’t like to be alone. I was going to regret this.  
  
“Dog. You can come with me if you’d like.”  
  
It perked up slightly and as I walked to the area it followed. Its longer stride reaching it sooner than I. It sat on the soft space, obviously still upset, but unwilling to deny any form of comfort. I jumped up and we stayed there for a long while. And then we heard the den open.  
  
“I’m home!”  
  
The dog jumped off and bounded over to the sibling. I followed at a far more leisurely pace. The dog bounced and licked as he was touched and pet.  
  
“I missed you, I missed you! I thought you were never coming back! Please don’t leave again!”  
  
I sighed at the drama. Did they really do this every time? It looked exhausting.  
  
“Alright. Lets go for a walk and then we’ll have something to eat.”  
  
“Yes! Yes! I love walks. Let’s walk! Walk! Walk!”  
  
The dog did a couple of circles as he waited at the door for the sibling.  
  
“‘Walk?’”  
  
“Yes! It means that we go outside and explore the border! We get to see others and say hi and find new smells!”  
  
“So you go on sentry duty after it hunts?”  
  
“Everyday! It’s so much fun!”  
  
“...If you do this everyday, then why were you- Nevermind.”  
  
I shook my head and jumped up onto the warm spot and simply waited for them to return. I took that brief time alone to wonder how it was holding up on its own. And when they returned we ate and the dog was groomed. Those two were always so close. Always touching. I couldn’t decide if it was for the dogs benefit or the both of them. As the night drew in they moved to the sleeping area. The dog paused.  
  
“What now?”  
  
“Aren’t you coming to bed?”  
  
“Bed?”  
  
“Yes. Its where we sleep.”  
  
Bed was the sleeping space.  
  
“Mine is here.”  
  
“But won’t you be lonely?”  
  
“No… Why are you doing that now?”  
  
“I’m sad because you’re going to be alone out here again.”  
  
This dog was exhausting. It cried at almost everything, I swear.  
  
“Fine. Just quit doing that. It’s annoying.”  
  
And there it was. It perked right back up. I watched it settle next to the sibling and I took a spot at the end. I simply listened to them breathe for a time. It was warm here. It had been a long time since I had shared a sleeping space with anyone. Maybe… this wasn’t so bad.  
  
The next morning it came into the den after breakfast. The sibling and it appeared to be talking about food as the sibling said ‘Prowl’ multiple times. It appeared to be rather upset about something. I had left it alone for two days. What could it have possibly done? I jumped up onto the warm spot and looked at it. It didn’t appear to be hurt. Had it failed at hunting again? Was it upset? It really was a handful. It was a little later after the siblings lecture on food capture, probably, that they brought out the prison box again. Despite my confidence that we weren’t going back to the bad smelling place I still fought them. They needed to know that I didn’t like the prison box. I could go places on my own. I didn’t need to be brought around like a prisoner. They never seemed to get it though and I was forced in again. When I was let out I knew I was back at its den. I searched for any possible intruders before I noted that the object was back. I was quick to knock it back off. There.


	12. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl escapes.

This was a mistake. It was a horrible mistake to do this on my own. There were so many brushes in this pet store. There were so many that it was ridiculous. There were ones that were longer. Ones that had wire bristles, and I had no clue how that could be comfortable. Others with bristles that looked like they would be better for brushing a horse. Ones with rubber bristles. Ones that were double sided. Others that were far more expensive than others. That had to make it better? Right? I had no clue what I was supposed to get. I mean there were cat combs for pete’s sake. Why couldn’t this be more simple? Like one brush for short haired cats and one for long haired or something? This had to be going over the top. So I did the only logical thing that I could do. I took out my phone and called Blaster.  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Uh… Are you busy?”  
  
“Not at the moment. What’s up?”  
  
“So… I’m at the pet store and there are like hundreds of brushes and combs here. What am I supposed to get?”  
  
“... Are you serious? Of course you are. How much does he shed?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“How much does Prowl shed on a regular basis? Is there enough fur to fill up half the vacuum cleaners bag in a week? Does fur come off in your hand when you pet him?”  
  
“Uh…”  
  
“Cause if he sheds a lot then you might want one of the ones that are specifically made to help with that.”  
  
“He doesn’t shed too much I guess?”  
  
“Just get him a standard brush and see if it does the job. If not then I’ll come see and we’ll go out together.” Blaster sighed. At this point I was sure he was fed up with me.  
  
“Steeljaw had short fur. What did you get him?”  
  
“I had two. One was a type of boar bristle brush that I just used to keep his top coat nice and soft. It was more for him then for getting much fur out. Then there was a wire one with plastic ends to help with his shedding. You know you can just ask whoevers there. They work in a petstore. I’m sure they get these questions all the time.”  
  
“I think I got it. I’ll just pick one that doesn’t look like it would be painful and see if it works. Thanks, Blaster. Bye.”  
  
“Ar-”  
  
I hung up and went about scanning them. I decided on a rounder brush with plain plastic bristles. Then I was off in search of toys and I was stuck again. This was a nightmare. I was quick to call Blaster back.  
  
“What now?”  
  
“What did you say Prowl preferred again? For toys?”  
  
My friend sighed.  
  
With that done I was back home. I met Prowls gaze.  
  
“Hey, Prowl.”  
  
Then I was off to ‘unboxing’ the stuff and putting away his cat food. There were different flavors at that store that I thought that he might like. It had to be boring eating the same two flavors of soft food all the time. I heard a meow behind me as I was putting it away. He must’ve thought that it was feeding time since I had opened the cabinet. I suppose that he could have it a bit early today. That wouldn’t do any harm. So I opened one of the new cans and dumped it onto a paper plate.  
  
“Here you go. Try that and we’ll see if you like it.”  
  
I smiled when he ate if after a moment of sniffing. Good. He liked it. After freeing the brush and the few toys from their packaging I went to go and relax for a while until it was time to sleep.  
I had thought that things were going well. Prowl was healthy and appeared happy, he had even slept with me last night, which he hadn’t done since that night I came home drunk, but as I went out for work as I usually did Prowl slipped out the door.  
  
“Prowl!”  
  
I called after him as he went down the stairs and disappeared over the fence.  
\-------------------------------------  
It had gone out of the den again today. More hunting. It had been doing that more as of late. And it was coming back with catches more and more often. It was finally learning. It was finally becoming self sufficient. Though it was still a bit clumsy at times, it was doing much better. Very well in fact. It could take care of itself now. It didn’t need me anymore. And that meant it was about time that I moved on and found myself a new home like I had planned all those months ago. But maybe I could just stay here for one more night. I had to say goodbye to it after all and make sure everything was ok and safe for it.  
I looked up when it came in. More shocky carriers. That meant that it had, had another successful hunt.  
  
“Hey, Prowl.” It greeted as it went to the food storage area.  
So it had been a successful hunt if it was talking about food. It really had grown and I felt a spark of pride. I jumped off my perch and followed it into the area.  
  
“Well done.” I praised.  
  
Even though it wasn’t time to eat it gave me a portion of whatever it had. It really must have been a very good hunt. I scented it. This… smelled like bird rather than fish. It was catching birds now. It really had come a long way. I was content to share in its victory and feasted. It was always a good feeling to take down a bird. They were superior prey compared to those stuck on the ground. After the victory meal I was off to find it. I paused and looked at the new items on the floor next to the scent marking and clawsharpeing pole. These were similar to the items that the sibling had me use for training. It was practicing its hunting now. It understood…  
  
It... really didn’t need me anymore.  
  
I watched it move about the den before it was off to sleep. I hesitantly followed and watched it settle. This would be our last night together. I took a moment more before I jumped up and settled at its back. It pet along my back a couple of times before it settled again. My sleep was restless and I spent most of my time just staring out at the night sky. That morning as it went out to hunt I slipped out with it.  
  
“Prowl!”  
  
I felt a spark of sorrow. It would understand that I wasn’t helping it hunt for food soon enough.


	13. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz searches for Prowl.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Prowl was out. Prowl was gone. I rushed down the stairs and looked over into the next yard. I couldn’t see him. No streaks of white anywhere.  
  
“Prowl! Prowl!”  
  
What the hell was that about? Where was he going? Where did he go? I was starting to feel a bit panicked. Had I done something? I needed to call Blaster. Blaster would know what to do. So I called and waited impatiently for him to pick up.  
  
“Hey, what’s up?”  
  
“Prowls gone.”  
  
“Gone? What do you mean gone?”  
  
“I was leaving and he slipped out the door. I don’t know where he went and he won’t come back when I call him.”  
  
“Dude, calm down. He’s a cat. An outdoor cat. I’m sure he just missed being outside. Just give him time. I’m sure he’ll be back by nightfall.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“We’ll worry about it if he’s not back by tomorrow. Ok?”  
  
“... Ok.” I answered after a moment, but I still didn’t feel any better.  
  
Prowl hadn’t wanted to go outside since I had gotten him in. What could have possibly sparked it now? By the end of the day I was antsy and rushing back home to see if he had returned. I scanned our little yard. No cat. I checked around the garage and in the space between the trash bins. No cat.  
  
“Prowl!” I called out into the waning light. “Prowl!”  
  
Nothing answered me. He had to be starving. He hadn’t eaten his breakfast when I started out this morning. Maybe food would draw him back. So up I went. Taking the bowl I headed back and set it down.  
  
“Prowl, dinner!”  
  
I sat on the steps and waited for a long while. The night slowly drew in, but Prowl hadn’t returned. Ever so slowly I willed myself to head back up. The following morning I was back out to find that the food I had left out the night before was untouched and my heart sank. Prowl hadn’t come back. So I was back to calling my friend.  
  
“Blaster. He didn’t come back.”  
  
“Then lets start spreading the word. Call the animal shelter to see if he’s been picked up. Spread his image on social media. Put up posters. Someone’s got to have seen him.”  
  
“Why the hell would he do that? He seemed happy inside.”  
  
“He was a stray. He might have missed the outside and after getting out for the first time in months he may have gotten too far in his excitement and got lost. I’m sure we’ll find him. He couldn’t have gone too far without someone seeing him. A white cat is hard to miss.”  
  
Despite my friends pep talk I didn’t feel much better about it. But I went to work. The shelter was a no, but they said they’d keep an eye out. They said that they reunited people with lost pets all the time. Apparently some people found pets that were obviously not strays and took them in wanting a pet before letting them go again because the pet was whining and crying, wanting to go home. I really hoped that wouldn’t be Prowl. Next was the social media platform and finally printing out tons of posters. And as I sat there staring at one of them I had to wonder what I was going to do if I never found him. I slowly stood and checked outside. The bowl was still untouched. Ants and other insects were beginning to claim it, however. I took it and replaced it before heading back in to sulk a while more.  
  
The posters were set up everywhere. Even in places I was sure he wouldn’t have gone to. If there was a chance that anyone had seen him I didn’t want to miss out. Each day I replaced the untouched food and waited for a call that I was starting to think wouldn’t come. Whenever it rained I always thought about Prowl out in it. He had to be cold and starving. Then I heard a sound outside and I was instantly on my feet. I rushed to the door.  
  
“Prowl?” I called.  
  
My hope drained and anger over took me. That filthy opossum was back. And it had the nerve to eat what I had left out for Prowl.  
  
“Hey! Get out of here! Shoo!” I was down the stairs and chasing it away.  
  
It had eaten half the contents of the bowl. My anger evaporated as a thought came to me. What if Prowl had gotten into another fight with it? What if he was hurt? Or… worse. I shook that thought away. No. No Prowl had to be fine.  
  
Those days had turned into weeks until finally a month rolled around. I had chased away the opossum more than a dozen times. Had checked and reposted about Prowl many more, but I got no responses outside of well wishing. Until finally I got a call. A white cat had been spotted going into an unoccupied houses backyard. I wasted no time in heading toward the location.  
  
The backyard was overgrown and the small fence that had probably looked rather nice in its day was beginning to fall over. There was one little garden shack in the back that had been turned into a fort. Old tarps lay over the windows and the door had long since fallen off due to the force of the winds opening and closing it. I slowly began my trek over too it.  
  
“Prowl?” I called. “You there, Prowl?”  
  
I peered in to see my cat in a decaying wooden box. Random items had been left behind. Books growing mold and old deflated balls. But there was my cat.  
  
“Prowl!” I was stopped in my tracks at the growl. “Prowl?”  
  
I knelt down and reached for him. I recoiled when he hissed.  
  
“Prowl? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”  
  
He hadn’t hissed at me since we first met.  
  
“Prowl, it’s me. You know I’m not going to hurt you. It’s ok.”  
  
I held out my hand to him. Maybe it was a scent thing?  
  
“Prowl?”  
  
Hope rose in my chest and I smiled when he slowly left the box.  
  
“Prowl.”  
  
There was a long moment of tense silence before he moved. He pressed his head into my hand and I willingly pet him.  
  
“You really had me worried, Prowl. I was scared that you got into another fight with that opossum and got hurt. Damn thing is back and kept eating what I left out for you.”  
  
I simply pet him a while longer before I risked picking him up and smiled wider when he let me.  
  
“Let’s go home, huh. Prowl?”  
  
I laughed happily when he nuzzled his head into my neck. That had to be a yes.

\-----------------------------  
  
I raced through the bushes and over wooden fences. My searches for a new home brought me to a box next to a place where the humans constantly threw out food. The large metal bin had fresh meat and other things in it daily. This brought in rodents as well. It was easy pickings for food, but plenty of others had found this place as well. And I was not too keen on sharing. If everyone came to this spot then soon enough there would be nothing left. So fights were inevitable. I had chased off almost a dozen others before a large beast came by. Forgetting our current battle we fled and watched as it easily lifted it and devoured it all. There were several humans in the loud creature. This was a top tier predator and one that I didn’t want to get involved with.  
  
“I think it’s safe to say that it wins.” One of my previous competition spoke and I didn’t bother responding.  
  
Slowly we all fled the area once we were sure that it was gone. So on I went. My next possible home was filled with potential hiding places. It was pretty large and dry. Safe from the elements. So I rested there that night, only to be chased out the next morning. The humans here did not want me here. I huffed and trotted down the road. They weren’t even using that space. It wasn’t even apart of their den. This was why I hated searching for new homes. It was difficult and areas that seemed uninhabited could quickly reveal themselves to have threats. My previous den had been nice before the beasts moved it. Moving the earth with such ease it was terrifying.  
  
And then I found it. An abandoned den. Spiders and other insects occupied it and the grass was tall, giving me plenty of cover. There were various fabrics around and hanging. Acorns were strewn about from the trees above. Nothing lived here. This would be my new den. No one was going to take it from me. Not even the ground moving beasts. The place was far colder than its den had been, but it was safe and far more than I could ask for. So I scent marked the area and found easy enough prey around it. I defended it, hissing whenever anyone got too close. I hadn’t needed to fight as of yet. My warding off humans with ease had made any potential competitors think twice.  
  
Then one day I was roused by a familiar sound.  
  
“Prowl?”  
  
And there it was. It had followed me all the way here? And it was doing that sound over and over again. I growled. What was it doing here. This was My den. It had its own. I wasn’t sharing. I gave a hiss when it reached toward me. Something… wasn’t right. Why was it saying that sound? Why did it look so upset? There wasn’t any food around. I puzzled over it for a time as it made its sounds. It held its arm out and said the sound again. Prowl. And then something clicked. Human families didn’t split. Was it… trying to call me? I slowly inched out and it smiled.  
  
“Prowl.”  
  
It… was trying to call me. I found myself wanting contact as sorrow filled me. I pressed my head into it and it pet me. It started talking and I let my eyes close. I simply enjoyed the contact. Then it lifted me and I found myself unwilling to fight it.  
  
“Let’s go home, huh, Prowl?”  
  
Prowl… was me. I tucked my head under his chin and got a soft sound and rumble in return. Families that don’t split. Maybe… it wouldn’t be so bad to try that with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I got some inspiration late at night to write something. This is what came out so far.


End file.
